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The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case Wednesday about whether prosecutors can use federal racketeering laws to try corporations allegedly hiring people living and working in the United States illegally. Madeleine Brand talks with Slate legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick about whether the case could set a precedent for other immigration cases.

The personal papers and correspondence of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., have long been considered priceless. But this week, the King family and the Sotheby's auction house will start the bidding at $15 million.

Taxpayers across the country are scribbling out checks to the United States Treasury. What happens to that check after it's dropped in the mailbox? Slate senior editor Andy Bowers explains where the money goes.

Two members of the Duke University lacrosse team were named in sealed indictments handed down form a Durham, N.C., grand jury, according to reports. The charges stem from a night in March, when a dancer at a house party thrown by team members told police she was sexually assaulted by three men.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is increasingly courting U.S. minority groups. This week, a delegation of prominent Latino and African American leaders wraps up a visit to see the social reform program led by Chavez.

FEMA releases new federal advisories and recommendations about which areas of New Orleans are vulnerable to flooding in the future. The advisories will require that many houses be raised several feet to qualify for insurance. Residents plan to use the guide to decide whether to rebuild or relocate.

When journalist Pete Earley's son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it sent him on an effort not only to get his son properly diagnosed and treated, but to understand the nation's mental health system. Earley's book about the experience is Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness.

While six retired military generals have come out in the past weeks calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to step down, no active generals have followed suit. Time magazine reporter and commentator Douglas Waller offers some historical perspective on speaking out against a senior official.

The Maryland legislature has blocked a proposed state takeover of 11 Baltimore schools. The schools have limped along for years with low student achievement. The school district says it's fixing the problems. But state officials are skeptical.

Among those helping to rebuild New Orleans is a small army of illegal immigrant workers from Brazil. Their journeys to America often involve the perils not just of crossing the Rio Grande, but of financing the trip by turning to loan-sharks back home.